Notes: I think when the Fairy Tail anime stalled, so did my inspiration. I had serious doubts as to whether I'd ever get this chapter out. Fortunately, as I was catching up on all the anime I've been neglecting, I realized I hadn't seen the most recent episodes, which cover the Grand Magic Games and beyond. Seeing about half of them was enough to get me writing again. But then I saw the 15th opening animation, and it seemed to embody so much of exactly what I thought Natsu would be like in this story. Can't get the music out of my head, either. So I knew I had to get this done.
Previously in Shine On:
Cana was banished from Fairy Tail for abandoning Lucy on Tenrou Island, and tasked with discovering her missing partner's fate. Five years later, Happy came to Cana with a message: Natsu had become the new Master, and was willing to let Cana return to the guild, but only if she first apologized. Cana told Happy that she wouldn't return until she met the original terms of her banishment. This was lie: she already believed Lucy to be dead, and had no intention of going back to the guild. Cana was therefore shocked to wake up one morning in a hotel room and find Lucy standing over her, apparently unchanged from the day they parted, save for the fact that she also no longer has a Fairy Tail stamp...
Shine On
A Fairy Tail Fanfic by
Nate Grey (xman0123-at-aol-dot-com)
Chapter 4: Cana - Remnant
"L-Lucy?" Cana gasped, doing her best not to pull away from the hand on her cheek. "Y-You're alive?"
"Of course I am!" Lucy laughed. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"But no one could find you!" Cana cried as she sat up. "Everyone was so worried! Why didn't you let us know you were okay?!"
"Because I wasn't okay, Cana," Lucy replied, her smile fading. "I could have died. I almost certainly would have, if it had been up to Kain."
"I'm so sorry!" Cana blurted out, leaping up and pulling Lucy into a desperate hug. "It's all my fault!"
"But it isn't," Lucy disagreed, gently stroking Cana's hair. "When you left me, you made me realize something. No one passes the S-Class exam as a pair for a reason. Only one person actually gets the promotion. It's not the teamwork that matters, it's the power. You had to leave me behind, because I was weighing you down. I understand that now. If I had been strong enough to support you, it wouldn't have happened that way."
"Lucy, no," Cana whispered, pulling back to stare at her. "That's not it. You weren't weighing me down."
"But I was, Cana," Lucy insisted. "It's okay. You don't have to spare my feelings. I accept this now. I wasn't a good partner for you, and I'm sorry. But everything is different now. I'm finally strong enough to support you, and I wanted to show you that."
"You weren't weak! That's not why I did it!" Cana snapped. "I was being selfish, and-"
"And that's okay," Lucy interrupted. "Being an S-Class mage isn't something you can really share with anyone. Even if you had passed, you would have left me behind eventually. You see, there's a reason why Mirajane retired. It's the same reason that Mystogan and Gildarts kept to themselves. That much power changes a person, and makes them feel alone, even in a guild like Fairy Tail. But there's nothing wrong with that. When you stand alone in the darkness, and the only thing you have to depend on is your own power, you need to be as strong as you possibly can. It's not something we would have ever learned in that guild."
Cana was starting to get a very uneasy feeling about the way Lucy was talking. "It's funny," Cana murmured weakly. "You almost talk as if you are an S-Class mage now, Lucy."
Lucy smiled in a way that was almost pitying. "I've learned something else, Cana. Labels like that are for the weak. People who are truly powerful don't try to classify their strength. They make their own classes instead. If I am S-Class now, it wouldn't matter to me one bit. All I know is that I'm strong. I'd be dead if I wasn't."
"And that's my fault," Cana whispered.
"No, it isn't," Lucy replied, grasping her shoulders. "If I had died, it would have been because I was too weak. But the only reason I was spared was because they saw potential in me. Ultear did, at least."
Cana's eyes widened. "Ultear? You mean... you've been Grimoire Heart's hostage all these years?"
"Years? More like hours," Lucy corrected. "Grimoire Heart didn't last long after they captured me. As strong as they were, there was a dark mage that was stronger still, and he took out their Master without even trying. I think he would have killed them all, but he changed his mind, once he saw I was there. He gave me a choice: die at his hands or join him."
Cana could hardly believe what she was hearing. "That's why your Fairy Tail stamp is gone? You joined a dark guild?"
"It's not a guild at all, Cana. It's a calling, and I answered it." Lucy's gaze slid down to Cana's bare abdomen. "I see that your Fairy Tail stamp is gone as well. Tell me what happened."
Cana's first instinct was to refuse. Even though she had been exiled from Fairy Tail, if she wanted to stay on good terms with them, she was still bound by the guild's rules. It would be the worst sort of betrayal (on top of her other crime) to share information with an enemy.
But then Lucy sat down on the bed, gently taking Cana's hand in her own. "Talk to me, partner," she urged. "If you're worried about betraying Fairy Tail, then don't. We aren't with them any longer, through no fault of our own. Besides, I didn't just come here to visit you. I want us to be partners again. I won't drag you down anymore."
"Lucy, that was never-" Cana pleaded, but Lucy silenced her with a gentle finger pressed to her lips.
"All I want to hear about is you, Cana. Tell me your story."
Maybe because it was Lucy, a friend she had missed for so long, Cana was unable to deny the request. Maybe she just needed someone to know how she had felt. Maybe she just needed someone to listen. Whatever the reason, Cana found herself unable to hold anything back. She felt she owed Lucy the truth and then some.
But the truth was that Lucy didn't take any of the news the way Cana expected her to. Despite hearing of Cana's exile, and Natsu becoming Fairy Tail's Master, Lucy didn't seem at all surprised. Throughout the whole story, she watched Cana with an odd smile on her face (odd only because Cana expected any reaction other than a smile). The only conclusion Cana could draw from this was that Lucy had already known all of this, and her thoughts were preoccupied by something else.
"It sounds like you suffered a lot because of me," Lucy murmured, gently squeezing Cana's hand. "I'm so sorry, Cana. Let me make it up to you."
"No! You don't owe me anything!" Cana insisted. "I was wrong to leave you behind, and I've regretted it this whole time! I promised myself that if I ever found you, I'd do anything to make it up to you!"
"If you feel that strongly about it, then come with me," Lucy said.
"Of course! We'll go back to Fairy Tail, and-"
"No, Cana," Lucy interrupted. "I want you to come with me. Zeref gave me permission to find you."
Cana stared at her in total shock. "But... don't you want to go back to Fairy Tail?"
"Even if I wanted to, there isn't any choice for me now. Zeref knows where I am, and his threat still stands. If I tried to return to Fairy Tail, he'd kill me, and I suspect he'd do the same to you. This is the only way I can protect you. So come with me, please. I don't want you to die."
Cana couldn't help feeling that she wouldn't be under the threat of death if Lucy hadn't found her at all. But she considered the knowledge that Lucy was alive and relatively well a fair exchange. "Okay, you win, Lucy. I'm not crazy about this, but I'll trust you."
Lucy smiled at her. "Thank you so much, Cana. I promise you won't regret it. Let me give you a gift to celebrate the rebirth of our partnership."
"No, you really don't have to-"
"I insist." With that, Lucy extended her right arm. "Crux Channel," she murmured as a silver cross tattoo appeared on the length of her forearm.
"What is that?" Cana asked hesitantly.
"A different way of using Celestial Spirits," Lucy replied with a smile. "Go on, touch it."
Cana slowly placed her hand on Lucy's arm. "Now what?"
Lucy closed her eyes. "Heartfilia Archive, Chapter One: Arc of Remnant. Upload now."
Cana gasped as Lucy's tattoo became incredibly warm beneath her hand. Without thinking, Cana jerked away and accidentally fell off of the bed. She expected to landed painfully on the hardwood floor. Instead, something impossibly soft caught her.
Lucy opened her eyes and smiled. "The transfer was a success. Congratulations, Cana. You're now a user of Lost Magic."
Cana looked around, finally able to see that what had caught her, and was still holding her a few inches above the floor. It seemed to be a constantly swirling cloud of brown dust. "What is this?" she whispered.
"The Arc of Remnant. It's the very first type of Lost Magic that I discovered on my own. I want you to have it."
Cana was speechless as the dust cloud slowly lifted her upright and set her gently on her feet. Then the dust seemed to settle in a noticeable ring around her shoes. The moment she raised her foot, however, the dust shifted to follow her. "Why is it doing that?"
"It's yours now. It goes where you go. You can mold it into whatever shape you want, with some practice. Think of a purse."
"What does that-" Cana began to ask, but suddenly there was a small, brown handbag hanging from her arm, and notably less dust around her feet. Though it was immediately clear that the handbag was made of dust, it felt as soft and smooth as silk.
"I wish I had enough time to teach you how to fly with it, but we can't stay here much longer," Lucy said as she stood up. The air around her body began to shimmer, and suddenly she was wearing an entirely different outfit: a form-fitting, black bodysuit, along with a matching, silver-lined cloak.
"What's the rush?" Cana asked warily.
Lucy sighed. "This town is scheduled to be destroyed, Cana. You're the only reason it hasn't been, yet."
"And who's going to destroy it?"
"Well... I am. I assume you don't want to help."
Cana stared at her in shock. "Y-You? Lucy..."
"You should know that I only allow my closest friends to call me that now, Cana. When I'm working, you should call me Celestia. That's how I'm known these days. Now, we need to leave. Knowing Zeref, he'll have sent someone behind me to destroy the town in case I dragged my feet, and he won't be too broken up about it if I don't make it out in time."
"How can you follow someone-"
"Who holds my life in his hands? Trust me, it's easy when the other choice is death. And if you ever get a choice, don't let someone whose chosen profession is death and destruction pick how you die. It can only end horribly."
Cana had little choice but to follow Lucy out of the hotel. She didn't want to die, and if Lucy was really determined to walk this dark path no matter what Cana did, then she wasn't about to walk it alone. No matter what Lucy said, it was Cana who had left her helpless against Grimoire Heart, and that was the entire reason Lucy was currently where she was and who she was. If there was no going back to Fairy Tail, anyway, Cana at least wanted to be able to say that she hadn't let Lucy go a second time. Natsu would understand that much, she knew for certain, even if he never actually thanked her for it aloud.
Part of Cana had been hoping that Lucy would not actually destroy the town with her own two hands. After all, Lucy had access to powerful Celestial Spirits, and while Cana liked the idea of them doing the deed even less, since they had more power to do it with, the very thought that Cana had indirectly driven Lucy to this fate left her feeling more than a little sick.
But, Lucy did not use her own hands or a Celestial Spirit to destroy the town. She used both. And it was just like her, not to want her Spirits to have the blood on their hands. Yet even as Cana watched the entire town swallowed up in a Spica Chasm via Virgo's power, somehow it felt better that way. They hadn't actually seen anyone die, at least. And it chilled Cana to no end that Lucy had thought to offer her earplugs beforehand. But at least Lucy was not so desensitized to mass death yet, because even with the earplugs in, the very thought of the dying screams obviously still bothered her.
The worst part came after, however. As Cana turned away from the scene, forcing herself not to be sick all over the ground, a new aspect of the Arc of Remnant revealed itself. She could sense all the dust that had been disturbed the disaster. All that dust, once inactive, now redistributed and given new life, new power... her power. And she hated it. Not because it was "dirty" magic, although that could have easily been a reason, if there was no other. What bothered her most was that it reminded her of Gildarts and his Crash magic, which was just as closely linked to senseless destruction. But at least she could walk down a busy street without wrecking something. That, perhaps, was the one thing that Cana didn't mind about the Arc of Remnant: while it had already proven capable of acting without her command, so far it had done nothing that implied she would have trouble controlling it when needed. In fact, if not for the occasional sight of dust carried to her on the wind, Cana might have forgotten about the Lost Magic entirely. It had actually been some time since Cana had performed any magic: with her Card Magic not responding as it once had, she had begun to rely more on the kindness of perverted men where her money or good looks failed. Maybe it was not what some might consider decent, but at least it was nothing new for her.
"So now what?" Cana asked, having a good idea but hoping she was wrong.
"Now you meet Zeref," Lucy sighed, then frowned. "Actually, first you meet a friend of mine, who has gotten a lot better at hiding herself. Haven't you, Meredy?"
Cana stiffened as a painfully thin girl with pink hair seemed to appear out of thin air. "Maybe you've just gotten worse at sensing magical signatures, Celestia," the girl said in a flat tone that made it difficult for Cana to tell whether she was teasing or being genuinely insulting. "And I don't ever recall agreeing to be your friend."
Lucy smiled and reached over to rub the girl's head playfully, which she tolerated with a surprising amount of patience. "Cana, this is Meredy. She's actually a lot nicer than she seems."
Meredy glared at her. "You should really stop telling that filthy lie." She gave Cana a long, decidedly unfriendly look. "So this is your infamous partner that left you for dead? I thought she'd be more... evil."
"More like Ultear, you mean?" Lucy asked, smirking when Meredy winced. "Sorry, I never had any friends that bad. And when I did, I mostly called them enemies and stopped hanging out with them."
"Can we go now? All this dust is irritating my eyes," Meredy complained, though it was clear this was merely her way of stating she did not like that Lucy had given Cana the Arc of Remnant. Cana was already starting to learn how to uncover the message within the insult when Meredy spoke.
"We should get going," Lucy agreed. "It's never a good idea to hang around too long after-"
"Someone's coming," Cana interrupted.
Lucy stared at her. "How can you tell?"
"I'm... not entirely sure," Cana admitted slowly. "I think it has something to do dust being disturbed in a certain way. Almost like someone had control of the..." She trailed off, her eyes going wide. "We need to leave NOW!"
"I don't think I can allow that until I get some answers," said a voice above them, even as a cyclone suddenly formed around the trio, preventing their escape. "What happened to the town that was here? Were you involved?"
Even after five years, Cana knew that voice, and didn't dare raise her head for fear of being identified. From the way Lucy was doing the same and had suddenly drawn a black hood over her head, she clearly had the same thought.
Meredy, however, had no such concerns. "I really hate fairies," she grumbled, sending a volley of glowing teal swords flying up at the intruder.
"The feeling's mutual, heartless!" came the heated response, and the trio was forced to dodge as Meredy's swords were hurled back down at more than twice the original speed. "Now that I know who you are, we have even more to discuss!"
Cana risked a glance at Lucy, who clearly knew what she was thinking and quickly shook her head. But Cana knew that there were only three ways to end this fight, and two of them involved at least one of them being identified by their attacker. Resigned to her fate, Cana slowly lifted her head, and stared into the shocked, pale face of Wendy Marvell. She was no longer the short, cute little girl that Cana remembered, and her figure had done a fairly good job of attempting to catch up to her Edolas counterpart, but she was still unmistakably Wendy.
"C-Cana?" Wendy whispered. "What are you doing here? With her?" She shot a brief glare at Meredy.
"I don't really have time to explain right now, Wendy. I just need you to trust that this is important, and that I've got it handled. Just leave it to me, okay?"
Wendy hesitated, the doubt and suspicion clear in her eyes. "I... can't do that, Cana. I'm sorry. It's not that I don't trust you. It's that I don't trust her, and I need answers, which I'm sure one of you has. I can't allow any of you to leave."
"You say that like you could stop all of us, if we wanted to leave," Meredy added. Her magical aura began to increase, to the point where her body was surrounded by a hot pink glow.
Wendy lost all hesitation then. "Arms x Armor X Vernier!" she cried, followed up by her inhaling deeply.
Cana recognized the pose and was about to advise Meredy to take cover as best she could, but what she saw next stopped her. Meredy's magical aura, powerful as it was, was rapidly being dwarfed by Lucy's, which was solid black and among the most powerful Cana had ever felt. Even Meredy had stopped powering up and appeared to be doing her best not to stare in awe.
"Sky Dragon's Roar!" Wendy shouted, firing a colossal stream of powerful, rushing wind down the cyclone's length.
"Scorpio Channel: Sand Buster!" Lucy roared as she raised her hands, firing an equally large torrent of sand upward.
The two attacks crashed against each other, and though they appeared to be entirely equal in power, Cana noticed at once that the cyclone entrapping them was quickly dying down. At first, she thought this was because Wendy did not have the power to maintain both spells. But then she saw that Wendy was staring intently at Lucy, and suddenly her skin went a shade paler. Something clicked in Cana's mind, and she realized that this was their best chance at escape, and that Lucy had given them another way out.
"Dust Up!" Cana snapped, and instantly, she was surrounded by dust that had gathered from virtually everywhere at once. Following her mental command, the dust flew up and poured into Lucy's sand, mixing with it easily. Reaching out with her magic, Cana seized the joined particles and willed them into a shape. "Dust Form: Sand Sledgehammer!" Cana cried. At once, a huge sledgehammer made of sand and dust emerged and rocketed up at Wendy, who dodged a full-on contact blow, but still took a glancing hit in the side that knocked her out of the sky. Cana quickly broke down the sledgehammer into a dust cloud, which she directed to catch Wendy and gently lower her to the ground.
"A combo attack on your first try, huh," Meredy murmured, doing her best not to look impressed. "I guess that's slightly better than average teamwork."
"That was quick thinking, partner," Lucy agreed, patting Cana's shoulder.
Cana wasn't sure how she felt about the praise, suspecting that the Arc of Remnant may have had more to do with her success than she had. "What do we do with her?" she asked, realizing that she was once again in the awkward position that had resulted in her abandoning Lucy.
"It's enough that she can't follow us," Lucy decided, before Meredy could suggest a more gruesome fate for Wendy.
Meredy pouted. "At least knock her out first! She could talk!"
Lucy and Cana turned to see that Wendy was indeed staring at them with tears pouring from her eyes.
"Lucy," Wendy whispered in shock. "You're... alive? We were so worried..."
Sighing, Lucy bent down and gently stroked Wendy's hair. "I'm sorry for everything, Wendy. I really missed you guys, but I can't come back now. There's something I have to do." She paused and glanced at Cana. "Tell Natsu that Cana and I are okay. That we'll take care of each other, and he doesn't need to keep looking for me. I'm not lost anymore, I've just found a different path that doesn't include Fairy Tail."
Wendy sniffled and laughed weakly. "Don't be silly. Once I tell him you're alive... he'll never stop searching."
Lucy smiled. "Yeah, you're right. I don't know why I even bothered."
Wendy reached up with a shaking hand and grasped Lucy's arm. "Please don't leave us again, Lucy. Please?"
Chuckling, Lucy leaned over and brushed a kiss against Wendy's cheek. "Honestly, Wendy, you're getting as clingy as Juvia."
"That isn't the only thing I learned from her," Wendy replied smugly. "Eterna-Air Lock."
Lucy's eyes widened a large sphere of air surrounded them, which began to glow as the air within it became extremely thin. In a matter of seconds, they would all be unconscious. "Meredy," Lucy gasped, even as she began to collapse onto Wendy, who had already closed her eyes.
"Aries Channel: Wool Gate Pass," Meredy sighed as she fell to the ground next to Cana, a pink tattoo on her hand glowing brightly.
Cana woke up minutes later with what she first mistook for a fluffy, pink pillow wrapped around her neck. Lucy, Meredy, and Wendy were also wearing them. Of more immediate concern, however, was the fact that they appeared to be in a cave made of sparkling rubies. Much as Cana liked jewelry, this was a bit too much pink and red for her. "How did we escape?" she murmured. "And where are we?"
Cana immediately received an answer, in the form of a very familiar Celestial Spirit who came running into the cave, panting heavily and grasping the wall for support. "I'm so very sorry I wasn't here to greet you all!" Aries gasped, clearly expecting to be scolded. "Please forgive me! I promise to do better next time!"
"You did great, Aries," Meredy disagreed, stepping forward and giving the Spirit a big hug. "You saved us. I've never been so happy that your key was entrusted to me. Thank you."
Aries was rendered speechless by the high praise, but she eagerly returned the hug all the same.
"So... we're in the Celestial Realm," Cana guessed.
"Yes," Lucy confirmed. "Aries responded to Meredy's request to grant us temporary passage."
"So Aries isn't your Spirit anymore?"
"It's complicated. When I first suggested that Meredy and Aries become friends, they were both against it. Meredy because she didn't know how to make friends, and Aries because she was convinced she'd be lousy at it. But it worked out better than I ever imagined, because Aries agreed to let us share custody of her key. For the time being, we're both allowed to summon her. A good thing, too, or we'd be stuck as Wendy's prisoners, instead of the other way around."
"Okay. Then what's with the neck pillows?"
Aries pouted. "They're neck warmers. I made them myself. Y-You don't like them?"
"Uh... they're very comfortable," Cana was quick to add, noticing the dark look Meredy was shooting her.
Lucy chuckled and fingered her own neck warmer. "This is a way of letting other Spirits know that we're guests of Aries. They're pretty strict about visitors, so it's necessary. It also lets us know how long we can stay here." As she spoke, a tiny ball of fluff came away from her neck warmer and fell into her hand. "Yours and Wendy's will fade faster because you're not Celestial Spirit mages, so we can't stay long."
Cana realized Lucy was correct as a considerably larger ball of fluff fell off of her own neck warmer. "What are we going to do about Wendy?"
"It's probably for the best to leave her here while we escape. The Spirits will make sure she gets home safely. It's not as if we could take her with us."
"Maybe we should," Cana disagreed. "She had a point earlier. Natsu will never stop hunting for us, once he finds out you're alive. Maybe if we explained things to Wendy, made her understand why we can't come back..."
"No. It's better if they don't know."
"Are you crazy?" Cana demanded. "Not knowing what happened to you nearly destroyed Fairy Tail! It certainly destroyed their faith in me, and mine in myself! And keep in mind, that was just when Makarov was Master! Right now, Natsu's in charge, and he still thinks he has to save you! You know what he's like! If you don't want him coming after you, give him a reason not to! Tell him about Zeref! It's one thing if you think Fairy Tail can't stop him, but as things stand, we'd be fighting against Zeref and Fairy Tail! Let them know we're not their enemies!"
Lucy shook her head. "But so long as we're under Zeref's control, we're everyone's enemies, Cana. And Fairy Tail isn't going to attack so long as we're with Zeref. We can't keep discussing this here, time passes more quickly in the Celestial Realm, and the last thing we want is for Zeref to think we're trying to escape."
Cana frowned but didn't continue the argument. She didn't want to image how horribly Zeref would kill someone he considered a traitor.
"Meredy, we need to go," Lucy said, gently pulling her away from Aries. She reached up and lightly brushed her knuckles against the Spirit's cheek. "Aries, thank you for everything. We'll come and visit you again as soon as we can."
Cana was a little startled when Aries sniffled, her eyes becoming huge and watery, then burst into tears and fled the cave. "W-What was that?"
Meredy sighed. "Aries hates seeing us leave. She's never once escorted us out, even though she's supposed to. Some other Spirit always has to do it for her."
Sure enough, Virgo soon entered the cave and quickly bowed to them. "Princess, Young Mistress, and guests, I humbly request that you allow me to be your escort today. Please forgive Aries for neglecting her duty, as she is currently indisposed."
Lucy smiled. "Please let her know that we don't blame her for that, Virgo. We understand how she feels."
Virgo nodded, allowing herself a tiny smile. "As always, your compassion for us knows no bounds, Princess. I will certainly deliver the message to Aries. Now, we should hurry. I have just been informed by Most Revered Big Brother Leo that a Celestial Mage who bears Fairy Tail's mark has entered the Celestial Realm, likely in search of either you three or onw of your guests."
Lucy's eyes widened. "Fairy Tail has a Celestial Mage?!"
"I don't think we should risk sticking around to find out who they are, even if that would be valuable information," Cana added.
"You don't have to," Wendy said softly, wincing as she slowly sat up. "I know exactly who it is, and I don't mind telling you. Yukino is my partner, and I guarantee that she's looking for me, not you."
"Well, you'll understand if we don't exactly trust you, after that stunt you pulled."
"One day, you'll both come home," Wendy promised them. "You'll see. Maybe it won't be like it was before, but Fairy Tail will always be your home."
"We've both changed a great deal, Wendy," Lucy whispered. "That guild isn't home for us anymore."
Wendy laughed in her face. "It doesn't matter how much you've changed. That's not why Fairy Tail is still your home." She smiled and carefully laid back down. "It's because that's where your family is."
Cana shook her head. "There's no denying she's been brainwashed by Natsu. Let's get out of here, Lucy. Chances are this Yukino is just as stubborn."
Lucy nodded, but gave Wendy one last frown. "Wendy, if you're so stuck on family, then tell Natsu this." She slipped an arm around Meredy. "This girl was once part of Grimoire Heart, but she is my family now. I won't go anywhere that she isn't welcome." She expected this statement to stump Wendy, but was disappointed.
"If you love her," Wendy said solemnly, "then so will Natsu."
Meredy frowned, not liking where the discussion was headed. "We're leaving now."
More than a little flustered by Wendy's words, Lucy quickly turned away, and the trio followed Virgo out of the cave.
Wendy sighed and closed her eyes. It wasn't long before she heard a terrific crash that shook the entire cave, which was soon filled by the rather strong odor of fish. She opened her eyes to find the two giant fish heads of the Celestial Spirit Pisces leering down at her. Anyone else might have been horrified, but Wendy merely smiled and reached up to pat each head affectionately. "Thanks for coming to get me," she whispered.
One of the heads carefully seized Wendy's collar in its teeth and lifted her into the air, placing her gently on top of the other head. Then they withdrew from the cave, moving considerably slower so as not to accidentally dislodge Wendy, who quickly fell asleep.
"I know what you're going to say," Wendy murmured an hour later.
Yukino gave her a flat stare, but said nothing as she continued to pour healing magic into Wendy's bruised ribs. Having a partner who could also heal was something of a double-edged sword for Wendy: Yukino was capable of using healing magic, but not as well or as often, which Wendy tended to forget until she was the one that needed to be patched up. It in no way prohibited her from being reckless, though, and Wendy would not have been at all surprised if Yukino was purposely remaining bad at healing in a doomed attempt to make Wendy more aware of her own mortality.
"You're going to say that I should have waited for you, that I shouldn't have rushed off on my own. But you wanted to heal the nice old lady who let us stay in her house, and I knew you wouldn't leave until you were sure she was okay. And this couldn't wait! You don't know how important Lucy is to Natsu! To our entire guild!"
"It is a common misconception that because you are allowed to call Master by his given name, and because we have been adopted into his family, that you can get away with anything," Yukino pointed out. "I am beginning to think that you believe this as well. So as to your questionable behavior, I will indeed say nothing. I believe that if you need to be chastised, Master will be the one to do it." She paused and lowered her head. "But you should know that I was very worried, and not just about you, Wendy. Even though Master has accepted me with open arms, I could not bear to face him if I lost you. Please, do not ever put me in such a position again. If what happened to Cana happened to me-"
"It wouldn't," Wendy insisted, grabbing Yukino's shoulders. "Natsu would never turn away from family, and he's not going to send you away. I keep telling you, you're a Dragneel now. We're never going to get rid of you. We aren't Sabretooth, Yukino. We won't betray you. I know it'll take time for you to believe that, but you can trust us."
"Misfortune follows me. Everyone that has ever been important to me, before now, is no longer part of my life. It isn't a matter of whether I trust you or not. It's a matter of how tightly I can hold on when you, too, are ripped away from me."
"That won't happen," Wendy promised. "We're not just partners, we're sisters."
Yukino shook her head sadly. "You wouldn't be the first sister that I lost."
"Well, you aren't losing any others! Mirajane, Lisanna, and I aren't going anywhere. Neither are Natsu and Elfman."
"It would be much easier to believe that if a certain partner of mine had not just run off."
Wendy winced. "That was different, though. Lucy is one of us. Natsu would have done the same thing."
"You are most decidedly not Master," Yukino reminded her. "And in any case, are you certain he would say the same thing concerning Lucy? If she has been with Grimoire Heart this whole time-"
"He won't care! All that matters is that she's alive!"
"Calm yourself, Wendy. I am not done healing you yet."
"This can't wait! Natsu needs to know right now!"
Yukino sighed in frustration. "You know that the success of my Contact Magic depends on extended physical contact with the target. Despite that, Dragon Slayers are exceedingly difficult for me to use it on. If I stop now, I will have to start all over again later, and I may not have as much success then. I am not willing to risk your health any further than you already have, Wendy. My only priority now is getting you back to the guild in one piece. Is that clear?"
Wendy wilted under the sternness of Yukino's glare. "But this is really important, Yukino!" She hesitated, then asked, "What if I used Fairy Dragon Call? You wouldn't have to stop healing me. Maybe it would even help?"
"That is... possible," Yukino admitted. "My chances of success do rise considerably, the more I have seen the magic in question used. But Fairy Dragon Call is not healing magic, nor do I suspect I would ever be able to use it."
"If I can do it, I'm sure you will, one day. I'll even teach you, if you want!"
"You're only offering so you can get your way again."
"Is it working?" Wendy asked hopefully.
"...fine. But if Master is upset that you are not completely healed, you will be the one to inform him of exactly why that is."
Wendy nodded eagerly, not the least bit concerned. Natsu could never stay mad at her for more than thirty seconds. It would be an extremely long thirty seconds, but she'd live.
Wendy's first attempt at Fairy Dragon Call had produced little more than a rather weak hologram of a cave. Since then, the spell had undergone heavy revision, with numerous tips from Levy, who had begun compiling everything she'd learned about Dragon Slayers. At least half of the information would never appear in any other book, and Wendy had learned more from the volume than she had from her own dragon, if only because Levy tended to record anything of interest in excruciating detail, where a dragon, not exactly known for their patience, would have been more selective in what was preserved. There had even been significant contributions from Cobra: he had nothing better to do than rot in his cell, and since the spell itself was geared toward providing a mindscape that suited the preferences of any Dragon Slayer who entered it, it was really to his own benefit whenever Wendy chose to call on him.
That last part hadn't really mattered to Natsu, but he couldn't deny that his portion of the cave, and more specifically its arid temperature, was rather comfortable. What really mattered to him was that everyone in the mindscape appeared just as they actually were, and so he noticed that Wendy was hurt the first time she took too deep a breath and gasped softly. She did her best to conceal it, but Natsu wasn't the only one who noticed.
"Who hurt you, shrimp?" Gajeel asked, emerging enough from the shadows where he was close enough to swat Wendy if she chose to lie or refused to answer him.
"She's not hurt," Laxus disagreed, earning a grateful smile from Wendy and a glare from Gajeel. "She's standing, isn't she?"
Natsu chose to ignore the injury, but only until he knew why Wendy had called the meeting. "You have something to tell us, Wendy?"
Wendy nodded, beaming at him. "I found her, Natsu! Lucy's alive!"
Natsu stared for a long moment, allowing himself no other reaction.
Wendy frowned. "Aren't you happy? I thought-"
"Of course I am," Natsu said calmly, which made both Gajeel and Laxus stare at him as if he'd grown a second head. "Where did you find her?"
Wendy hesitated. "Yukino and I were returning from our mission when she sensed someone using Celestial Spirit magic. She was healing an old lady, so I went to investigate-"
"Alone," Natsu murmured. "And you got hurt."
Wendy's bottom lip trembled, easily sensing his upset. "Yes..."
Natsu closed his eyes. "Go on."
"Um, when I arrived, a nearby town was just... gone. Wiped off the map. I found Lucy at the scene, with Cana, and Meredy from Grimoire Heart. I didn't realize who they were at first, so I demanded to know if they had anything to do with the town being destroyed. They wouldn't cooperate, so I tried using force. That was when Cana let me see her face, and when I knew it was Lucy-"
"You got distracted, they took advantage," Laxus chimed in.
Wendy nodded reluctantly. "I tried to capture them with Eterna-Air Lock, but they escaped by taking us all to the Celestial Realm. Yukino followed, so they left me there for her to find."
"Did you make it clear to Lucy and Cana that they could come back?" Natsu asked.
"Of course! I begged them to! But Lucy wouldn't listen, she said she couldn't! I even told her to bring Meredy, if that was the only reason, but she still left!"
"It's okay, Wendy," Natsu said softly. "You did good. You found her. That was more than enough."
"It does leave us with an interesting problem, though," Gajeel added. "All my sources tell me that Zeref has the only other Celestial Spirit Mage with Golden Keys. Nobody's heard squat from Grimoire Heart since that day, so I'm guessing what remains of them is also under his control, if that kid is hanging out with Lucy. So Levy was right all this time. Grimoire Heart had Lucy, and then Zeref took over. No wonder she never tried to contact us."
"But she's still the same Lucy!" Wendy insisted. "Her Spirits still love her, and she still cares about us, I know she does! She must be trying to protect us from Zeref! She could have hurt me a lot worse, and she didn't!"
They all looked at Natsu, who was unusually quiet. Finally, he raised his head. "Wendy, you need to be sure. Because if we do this, it won't be Fairy Tail going after Zeref. It'll just be the Dragneels."
"Hey, you serious?" Laxus asked, but Natsu ignored him.
"I'm sure," Wendy replied firmly. "Lucy wants to come home."
Natsu nodded. "Then it's decided."
"You're not really gong to take on Zeref without us, right?" Laxus insisted.
"You two are on important missions right now. It would hurt the guild more if you were called back before they were completed. And besides, if this blows up in our faces, both of us can't be there, Laxus. Not unless you've made plans for a Sixth Master without telling me."
Laxus scowled at him. "You know damn well I haven't, but that's not the point."
"But it is. I have no intention of dying any time soon, and even if I did, I know the guild would be in good hands: yours. Until you can say that about someone else, we don't go on the same missions. And like I said, this is a matter for my family, not Fairy Tail."
"That mean you're taking the shrimp along, too?" Gajeel chuckled.
"Of course!" Wendy snapped. "He said his family, didn't he?! I'm going! Right, Natsu?"
"Normally, I might consider it." Natsu's eyes narrowed. "But I know you're still hurt, and you aren't going anywhere until Yukino is done. And even then, you're both coming straight back here."
"But I'm not-"
"I wasn't asking, Wendy."
"Natsu, please!"
"Don't make it worse. Even if this wasn't a punishment, I still need you here before we can do anything else. Yukino is probably beside herself with worry and guilt as it is." Natsu paused and softened his voice. "You're a team, Wendy. You should consider your partner before you act. That isn't something I can teach you anymore, and Yukino desperately needs you to learn it quickly. Maybe you should take this time to remind yourself of what she was like when she first came to us, how far she's come, and why she'll need your help to progress any further. As her partner, you already know all of this. As her sister, you shouldn't need reminding."
By the time he finished, Wendy's face was red from embarrassment and frustration. It was clear she had a heated response prepared, but the truth in Natsu's words made her think better of it. "Fine, I was wrong!" she finally blurted out. "But I'll never forgive you if you don't bring Lucy home!" She abruptly vanished from the cave.
"Good thing this spell is self-sustaining, otherwise we'd never get to finish when she storms off," Gajeel noted. "She's been doing that a lot lately. Hard to believe she used to be a marshmallow. The hell did you do to her when you adopted her, Salamander?"
"I gave her exactly what she asked for. I made her a Dragneel, and I warned her there would be times when she'd hate me, either as her brother, Master, or both. She said she was fine with it."
"Funny how Yukino seems to handle it better than her," Laxus added. "But I guess she hasn't learned to hate you yet."
"Wendy just wanted it. Yukino was the one who needed to be adopted, and she only agreed to it because it was Mira's idea. I don't even think Yukino can hate anyone else. She tends to blame anything bad that happens on her own misfortune. I was hoping they'd help each other, but I guess that will take more time."
"So that's the situation as Wendy told me." Natsu leaned back in his chair and stared at the members of his family, who were all seated in a small circle around the table. "Well? Any thoughts?"
No one said anything right away. Possibly they were still reeling from the multiple shocks that Lucy was alive, with Cana, and quite possibly under Zeref's control. Although, if that was the case for Mirajane, she hid it quite well by seeming to remain blissfully unaware as she continued to play with the snowy-haired, rosy-cheeked toddler in her lap.
"When do we leave?" Elfman asked at last.
Natsu grinned at him. "I didn't say you were coming, but I'm glad you volunteered."
Elfman simply nodded. "A man does not abandon his comrades."
"So I guess you want Mira and I to stay here and protect the guild?" Lisanna asked.
Natsu sighed. "I wish I could say that. But here's the part of my plan that's a little crazy."
"Oh, so challenging the most powerful dark mage of all time wasn't the crazy part?"
"It's comparatively less crazy," Natsu insisted.
Lisanna smirked and shook her head. "Okay, hubby. Let's hear it."
He gave her a fond smile. "Every time I see Zeref, I attack him. Each time, he's brushed it off like it was nothing and told me I wasn't ready yet. And to be honest, I still don't feel ready. So, as unpredictable as he's proven to be in the past, I still think I can count on him to do the same thing this time. But if I'm wrong, then I'll be really wrong, and I'll need serious backup."
"You're right, that is a little crazy," Lisanna agreed.
Natsu frowned at her. "I actually hadn't gotten to the crazy part yet."
"What could be more crazy than what you just said?!"
Natsu took a deep breath. "Mira, I need you to come out of reserve for this one."
Elfman and Lisanna both froze in shock.
Mirajane did not look up from the toddler in her lap. "Are you sure you want that, Natsu?" she asked softly.
"Of course I don't want it. I want you to stay right here, so I know that Lilu is always safe. But for this to work, we need a show of extreme force. That's you, me, and Elfman."
"Why not Gajeel and Laxus?"
"You know why not Laxus, and our enemy isn't a dragon this time. Even if it was, I'd still need you with me."
"Why?"
"I would never lose a fight with you standing behind me."
Mirajane sighed softly. "I'll go," she whispered. "But only if Erza stays with Lisanna and Lilu."
"You read my mind." Natsu stood up and walked around the table, placing his hand on Mirajane's shoulder. "Thank you, Mira."
She nodded, wordlessly passing the toddler to him.
"Hey, Lilu," Natsu cooed, lifting the tiny girl high into the air. "You have fun with Auntie Mira?"
"Ya, Da!" Lilu giggled, patting his cheeks. "Miwa fun!"
Natsu brought her down and kissed her on the nose. "Daddy, Auntie Mira, and Uncle Elfman have to go out for a while. You're gonna be a good girl for Mama and Erza, right?"
"Ya! Ma! Za!" Lilu agreed, but she began to whine as Elfman stood up. "Elfum! Kiss!" she demanded, reaching for him.
Elfman chuckled, leaning down to kiss her cheek and touch his forehead to hers. "We'll be back soon, Lilu. That is the promise of a what?"
"MAN!" Lilu yelled eagerly, raising her fists.
Lisanna rolled her eyes. "Of all the things for my baby to be corrupted by, she picks manhood? I swear there's something wrong with this family."
Mirajane gently seized Lilu's fists and kissed them. "I'll tell you any bedtime story you want when we get back, sweetheart."
"Beat Free!" Lilu cried at once.
Mirajane laughed weakly. "For some reason, she only ever wants to hear about me defeating Freed. I don't know why she likes that one so much."
"Well, it's a damn good story," Natsu reasoned. "I wouldn't mind hearing it again myself. Preferably when Freed is in the room so I can point and laugh."
"Oh, you!" Mirajane giggled. She turned back to Lilu and tenderly kissed the girl's nose. "Love you, Lilu."
"Miwa win!" Lilu cheered, hugging her neck.
"That's a promise," Mirajane whispered, stroking Lilu's hair.
Lilu's grip tightened ever so slightly. "Miwa help Da?"
"Of course. That's why I'm going with him, instead of staying with you, honey. You're going to help your Mama, right?"
"Help Ma!" Lilu agreed at once, as she tended to do with nearly anything that Mirajane suggested, with the notable exceptions of taking a bath and eating vegetables. She began to wriggle until Natsu handed her to Lisanna. "I help, Ma!" Lilu stated proudly.
Lisanna smiled softly and carried her daughter to the door. "Thank you, baby. I appreciate it. You can start by eating all your vegetables at dinner."
"No!" Lilu shouted, reaching over Lisanna's shoulder. "Miwa! Save Lilu! Mama mean!"
"Nice try, you little stinker, but Auntie Mira isn't allowed to save you from eating right."
Once Lisanna had gone (and Lilu's wails of protest had faded, somewhat), Natsu turned to his siblings. "We leave as soon as Wendy and Yukino are back." He frowned and lowered his head. "I want to thank you two for doing this."
Elfman clapped him on the right shoulder. "If you're a man, you help your brother when he needs it, even before he can ask."
"Especially when he's the little brother," Mirajane agreed, slipping her arms around Natsu and resting her head on his left shoulder. "You know that we'll always be here for you."
"I know," Natsu murmured, wrapping his arms around them both. Then he closed his eyes tightly and hoped desperately that he wasn't leading his beloved family to their doom.
Zeref had made no secret of where his base was. Practically everyone knew that he had converted Grimoire Heart's airship into an island fortress. The island itself was not even difficult to reach. That wasn't the point. The point was that Zeref welcomed all challengers, all of which were either promptly turned back or destroyed outright, depending on factors that only he was aware of. Most of the intruders never even caught a glimpse of the infamous dark mage. This was due to the Children of Zeref.
They were not a guild, or even a dark guild, in the expected sense. They accepted no outside missions, no form of payment, and no threats to their Master. They existed for a single purpose: to carry out their Master's wishes, and to mow down anything in their way in the process. Often, those wishes included killing a large amount of people. Naturally, most people thought the entire group was pure evil. This was false. Even Zeref was not purely evil, although some of his greatest creations claimed to be. The Children of Zeref, however, were different. They were not Zeref's servants, contrary to popular belief. They were his hostages, and they carried out his commands solely because they wanted to remain living hostages he found useful, rather than corpses he did not.
The Magic Council, as was their tradition by now, had proven entirely useless. Zeref had actually walked into a meeting, killed half of them, and told the rest they were on borrowed time. Curiously, he had also stated that any council member other than Doranbolt who set foot on his island would be instantly executed. This remained a mystery: the Council had less than nothing to say to Zeref, and Doranbolt himself refused to go anywhere near the island. In truth, there was only one possible reason that Doranbolt had come up with that even partially explained why Zeref had spared him, and it bothered him to no end.
Doranbolt feared that Zeref had something in store for the members of Fairy Tail, apparently even a false one. And while he had no idea what that was, he had long ago put his affairs in order, and not a day slipped by that Doranbolt expected to see the next. When Zeref told you that you were on borrowed time, you listened.
Cana had been expecting Zeref's base to be positively dripping with evil. It wasn't.
It was, however, extremely clean. Every surface seemed to sparkle or shine, to the point where Cana wondered if Zeref actually had invented some sort of self-cleaning magic... or if he simply brutally destroyed anyone that made a mess. With that in mind, she quickly stowed all of the dust she'd brought with her in purse form, and hoped it all stayed that way.
Every person they passed seemed to be terribly busy, or perhaps just terrified of not looking busy. Even those that shot curious looks at Cana quickly went back to whatever they were doing.
Oddly enough, Zeref was in a library, but he wasn't reading. In truth, Cana first thought he was sleeping, except for the fact that he was standing up. His eyes were closed, and he did not appear to be breathing.
Lucy and Meredy knelt before him, and Cana did the same.
After several moments, Zeref slowly opened his eyes. "I see that your tasks were completed, Celestia and Meredy. Well done." His gaze snapped to Cana, who couldn't help flinching. "And you are Cana, formerly of Fairy Tail. I find that to be... absolutely fascinating." He did not elaborate on why that was, and Cana was hoping that he didn't. Every additional second that he spent looking at her made her more and more certain that she was about to die.
"There was a complication," Meredy reported. "We ran into a Fairy Tail mage, and she recognized Celestia. She may report back to her Master."
"This is not a problem. I expected this to happen. There would be no point if Natsu remained completely ignorant of my schemes. He will respond soon enough."
As if Natsu had heard him, both Lucy and Cana suddenly felt something of an itch on the former locations of their guild stamp. The itch quickly became a burn, however, and each watched in shock as the Fairy Tail stamp reformed on their skin, though both were now a bright, blood red. If either or both thought they were dreaming, their doubts were quickly cleared up by the familiar voice that spoke directly into their heads.
"This is Natsu Dragneel, Fourth Master of Fairy Tail. If you're hearing my voice right now, that means you're either a member of Fairy Tail in good standing, or you're that emo bastard Zeref. It's come to my attention that two of my own are mixed in with Zeref's punks. Lucy and Cana, if you want out, you'll have to say it to my face. Those guild stamps don't come off again unless that happens. Zeref, I'm coming for my people, so get the hell out of the way. And in case it wasn't obvious: I'm all fired up."
The connection ended abruptly, and though only three people in the room had heard it, the impact on each where obvious. Lucy had fallen to her knees, clutching her chest as tears poured down her face. Cana was still staring at the blood red guild stamp on her skin, wondering what kind of magic could possibly restore a guild stamp that had been removed, especially when the caster was nowhere close by. And Zeref... was laughing uncontrollably, to the point where tears were also streaming from his eyes. Not as if he hadn't taken Natsu seriously, because he had. Zeref was laughing because the only way Natsu could send a message this way was if he'd killed a certain dragon, and taken its power for himself. Which meant that Natsu was one giant step closer to being able to kill him, and realizing Zeref's most desperate wish. True, the final two steps were equally giant, as they came in the form of the black dragon Acnologia and the dark guild Tartarus. But this wasn't the sort of process that could be stopped once started, and Natsu surely knew that, to make such a challenge. Likewise, Natsu would never succeed in either challenge without his missing guildmates, whether he knew it or not.
Zeref was not a generous man. Not anymore. Much as he wanted Natsu to end him, he also knew it would be meaningless if he held back his power, or offered Natsu any sort of aid. So returning Lucy and Cana to Fairy Tail was not an option. But, if Natsu were to come for them in person, Zeref would not stop him. Not out of kindness, but because Natsu was the only person alive who had the potential, and Zeref had no intention of waiting another century for another saviour. No, allowing Natsu to take his friends back was entirely self-serving, a means to an end. But that was no reason not to arrange a little test.
"There has been a change in plans," Zeref said calmly, wiping the tears from his face. "Celestia, Meredy, and Cana: you are all free to go. Your contributions are most appreciated. But before you go, I have one final order." A wide, terrible grin slowly spread across his face. "Wake my Slayers."
Cana had no idea what he meant, but from the way the color drained from Lucy's face, it could mean nothing good. Meredy had a more drastic reaction.
"You CAN'T!" she screamed. "If we do that, then... Ultear will die!"
"Yes," Zeref agreed softly, unaffected by her distress. "And when she does, as the only living Era Slayer... this time will end. Should Natsu attempt to defeat her by killing her, he will be the first to prove unworthy of greeting the new world. If she should fail in her duty, there is still Bluenote, my most ingenius creation. Natsu has triumphed over other Dragon Slayers, and even defeated God Slayers, but no member of Fairy Tail stands no chance against a Fairy Slayer."
"Why?" Lucy whispered. "Why is it always Natsu?! Why can't you leave him alone?!"
"You haven't guessed the truth yet, Celestia? I would have thought it was obvious to you of all people. You wish to know the origin of my fixation with Natsu? You could just as easily ask why Natsu is fixated on you. All of our fates are intertwined, as mages cursed to exist in this dying world, mages destined to be involved with the same guild time after time."
"What could Fairy Tail possibly have to do with you?"
"It has been foretold. My destiny lies with that guild."
Ultear's existence had become little more than a series of never-ending nightmares. She could no longer separate reality from the terrors that haunted her dying mind in every moment. At least, she thought she was dying, or desperately hoped that she was.
She had once thought she understood pain: how best to inflict it, how to revel in watching others suffer through it, how to cast it aside in order to push her body and magic to ever greater heights.
Then Zeref had allowed her to feel the amount of suffering she had caused in just a single town, and she had never been the same since. It would have been kinder to let her die, or to simply kill her, as he had Master Hades. But, she understood now why he hadn't: she was still useful to Zeref, could serve a final purpose for him. Really, it was the highest of compliments, that the most powerful mage in history considered her worth salvaging. And she would never stop cursing the foolish need to prove she was worth something, which had motivated her to become something that would capture Zeref's interest.
Meredy was the only one who visited her anymore. At least, she was the only one that Ultear imagined still might, and even that could have been a delusion. Ultear would not have blamed Meredy, whatever she chose now. It wasn't as if the visits accomplished anything: Ultear could not actually move at all, and the magical coffin that housed her body also fed her a steady stream of dark magic, and little else. She imagined there had to be some nutrients mixed in, but certainly not enough to keep her body from gradually wasting away as it had.
Ultear did not dare to beg for death. She had accepted this punishment to spare Meredy's life, and she had no idea what would become of the girl if that changed. Her only real hope was to live long enough to see Meredy safe and happy, but that would never be, so long as Zeref walked the earth. So when she learned what Zeref expected of her, her wish became the same as his.
She wanted Natsu to kill her.
Erza Scarlet had only two known weaknesses. One was cake. Which was to say that interrupting her while she was eating a piece was only for those who wished to have an extremely bad day. To date, there was only one person who could get away with it safely, and only then because she was Erza's other weakness.
"Za!" Lilu squealed excitedly as soon as she spotted her favorite playmate across the crowded guild lobby. "PIGGY!"
No matter how many times this happened, it was always accompanied by many nervous looks, and a loud screeching of chairs as people backed away in a hurry, certain there was about to be a beating of epic proportions. For not only had Erza been interrupted during her cake time, she had apparently also been called a pig. This only made it easier for Lilu to run across the near-deserted room to Erza, who never reacted until Lilu had hauled herself up onto Erza's back.
"I have never met another child that would ignore cake in favor of a piggyback ride," Erza chuckled softly.
"Piggy!" Lilu insisted, tugging lightly on Erza's hair.
Erza sighed and stood up to comply... but she took the rest of her cake with her.
Lilu would only accept piggyback rides from Erza, a blow that had deeply wounded Elfman. The popular theory was that Lilu liked the shine of Erza's armor, or perhaps her red hair. Whatever the reason, Lilu would not release her grip on Erza until she had been satisfied by a few minutes of play. Thankfully, Erza did not actually have to do anything other than walk to entertain Lilu in this way, and in all honesty she had swords that were far heavier. None that rewarded her efforts with overly-wet kisses or horrendous colorings, though. Lilu had finally progressed to the point where most of her Erza representations were easily recognizable on paper, either by silver masses topped with red, or many pointy bits.
Five minutes later, Lilu was fast asleep, but her deathgrip on Erza's armor hadn't weakened at all. Erza made her way over to the bar, where Lisanna and Yukino were discussing something in soft tones. Noticing Erza's problem, Lisanna motioned her closer and gently tickled Lilu's underarms. The girl instantly released Erza and collapsed into Lisanna's lap, all without waking up.
"I've never seen her asleep before," Yukino admitted.
"That's because it's so tough to exhaust her to the point where she'll go to sleep without a fight," Lisanna explained. "MIra's been playing with her for hours. She's pretty much the only one who never gets tired of Lilu."
Yukino bit her lip. "Is that... because of her problem?"
"Most likely," Lisanna admitted.
It was common knowledge in the guild that Mirajane was not emotionally stable. To be clear, she could be trusted with children, and was absolutely the nicest person one could ever hope to meet. And that was actually the problem: so much of her magic was centered around darkness and demons, but because she rarely ever allowed herself to access the negative emotions that went along with them, Mirajane had gradually developed a second personality that kept that power locked away, unless it was needed. But once that power was called upon, it was extremely difficult to lock away again, so Natsu only involved Mirajane when not having her along might have resulted in a guild member's death. That was a circumstance that Mirajane absolutely refused to accept, so she had been confident that Lucy was still alive all this time. No one wanted to imagine what Mirajane would be like if someone close to her did die, but since she would do everything humanly possible to keep that from happening, there was no safer place for Lilu than in Mirajane's arms. There were even times when Lisanna feared that Mirajane loved Lilu more than anyone else, and more than Lisanna herself did. Far from being jealous, the possibility frightened Lisanna, because it made her feel like a bad mother, and worst of all, that Lilu might love Mirajane more than she did her own mother.
Some of that was simply unavoidable: Lisanna had to be strict, because Natsu was more likely to encourage Lilu's bad behavior than restrict it. Mirajane somehow found ways to convince Lilu that being nice and polite were extrememly good ideas. Lilu certainly believed that, but she was also still a baby, and more importantly, Natsu's daughter, so plenty of natural rudeness was both expected and even proudly displayed at times. But Lisanna didn't have Mirajane's legendary patience, or Natsu's love of destroying things. All she had was a baby girl that she was trying to prevent from becoming a heathen, and praying that Lilu wouldn't resent her too much in the process. So far, Lilu had shown no confusion at all about who her parents were: Natsu had always been "Da", Lisanna always "Ma", and Mirajane always "Miwa". It should have comforted Lisanna, but already she had seen that Lilu preferred playing with Mirajane and Erza to anyone else. She had never refused to play with Lisanna, but she had never asked for her specifically, either. And Lilu spent the majority of her time with Mirajane for a number of reasons, but mainly because despite years of inactivity, Mirajane was still the most powerful mage in Fairy Tail. Some liked to think that Erza was a close second, but Lisanna had noticed a trend among the guild's true powerhouses: they all considered some of their magic too powerful, and took obvious steps to restrain it. Yet Erza continued to train daily as if she had something to prove, and showed no signs of having reached that threshold yet.
Yukino's presence reminded Lisanna of something she'd been wondering about. "Yukino, where's Wendy?"
"Still resting and pouting in our room," Yukino replied. "She's very upset that Master won't take her along. Is it true that he's only taking two people with him?"
"Trust me, he doesn't need anyone else," Lisanna assured her as Natsu emerged from his office, followed by Mirajane and Elfman. They made their way over to the bar, where Natsu startled Yukino by giving her a big hug.
"Thanks for looking after Wendy," he said in her ear.
"O-Of course, Master," Yukino squeaked, still somewhat new to physical affection.
Natsu released her and turned to Lisanna. "How's our baby girl?"
"Totally worn out, thank goodness," LIsanna told him, holding up the proof: Lilu, still asleep, and starting to drool a little.
Natsu unwound his signature scarf from his neck and wrapped it carefully around Lilu, until only her head was exposed. "I'll have a special present for you when we get back," he promised, gently rubbing her head.
"Make sure you keep both of those promises, hubby," Lisanna warned him. "I will be extremely upset if you don't."
"Wouldn't want that," Natsu replied, leaning in to kiss her. "If Lucy puts up a fight about coming back, should I tell her our surprise?"
"No. Drag her back kicking and screaming first. I don't want her to know until she can see it in person. There's no way she'll run then."
Natsu nodded. "Okay, sibs. We're gone," he said, moving past Elfman and Mirajane. They started to follow, but Lisanna caught Mirajane's wrist.
"Mira, I know I don't need to say this to you, but I will, anyway." Her expression darkened. "If they hurt our family, promise me they'll be nothing but ashes in the wind."
"I can't promise that, Lisanna," Mirajane murmured with a sweet smile. "Obliteration tends not to leave ashes."
Erza, at least, recognized that smile for what it was. It was the main reason why Natsu, since marrying Lisanna, had never lost a fight in Mirajane's presence. Not because he was afraid of disappointing her. Far from it. It was because Natsu knew that if Mirajane thought, even for an instant, that she had lost a member of her family again, no force in their world could even hope to survive her rage, much less stop it, until her bloodlust and thirst for revenge was satisfied.
Next Chapter: Natsu - Dragneel Law
Natsu's journey to becoming Master of Fairy Tail is marked with challenging tasks: learning powerful magic, defeating a certain (non-black) dragon, and getting Mirajane's permission to marry Lisanna. And not the smiling, friendly Mirajane, but the one that has major issues letting go, isn't impressed by Happy being born to unwed parents, and makes Elfman want to curl up into a ball and wish he was half as scary. Yet the answer isn't in defeating Mirajane (and thank goodness for that!), but in showing her that the family is in good hands.
Endnotes:
To be clear, I describe Meredy as painfully thin largely to differentiate her from the current canon Meredy. I don't imagine growing up under the constant threat of death by Zeref is very healthy for a girl who already has major issues. Which is not to say that Lucy hasn't been helping, only that results have been mixed.
I'm sure you're wondering why Yukino is in Fairy Tail (though you really shouldn't, they showed far more concern for her than anyone else, so I'm amazed she still hasn't joined in the canon-verse). For the sake of this story, let us assume three things. That Yukino joined Sabretooth earlier, that the loss in combat for which she was expelled happened earlier, and that she would never return to that guild. I mean, most people in Fairy Tail have seen Lucy naked repeatedly, but at least the circumstances have almost always been funny. There's nothing funny about the way a single loss was dealt with in Sabretooth, and I would like to think Yukino has sense and pride enough never to go back. Even if you forgive, don't forget. And what I remember is that none of Yukino's supposed friends said a word against her humiliating dismissal, or bothered to look for her afterwards. And this was an environment where lone mages (and especially Celestial Spirit mages) were getting attacked and kidnapped left and right, so I say forget those jerks, especially Sting and Rogue, whose enhanced senses could have found her in record time. They don't even have the excuse of being totally heartless, since both were more attached to their cats than they were Yukino. I'm sure Natsu loves Happy, but he would still give a crap if even a no-name member got treated as badly as Yukino did.
Yukino having Contact Magic is of course my idea. As for why, I figure it's something she would only discover in a positive environment, where physical affection was common. Not Sabretooth, in other words. See how great her not being there works out?
For an organization that claims to maintain order, I find the Magic Council to either be entirely useless, or useful only in accidentally advancing whatever evil plot is in motion. Which pretty much makes them an evil force when they are doing something significant, which would most likely draw Zeref's notice eventually. And from what I've been able to guess, the only brand of evil he tolerates is his own.
I was orginally going to include Natsu being introduced to my take on Lumen Histoire, but because of the most recent manga revelation involving Natsu, I think I will wait, or just not do it at all. Though I think we finally have the answer as to why Freed's runes considered Natsu to apparently be over 80 years old (the same applies to Naruto, all you crossover authors). And since that applied to Gajeel as well, I wonder... although in his case I could definitely understand the spell mistaking him for a stone statue, he probably has way too many minerals in his body. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he and Makarov were really the intended targets of the spell. I alsp think this may explain why Natsu was the only Dragon Slayer that didn't prove entirely useless against an actual dragon. I have to assume the ancient Dragon Slayers worked in groups larger than five, and that Acnologia had comrades who didn't bathe in dragon blood, because at this point everything in canon suggests that no single Dragon Slayer could slay any single dragon, unless the dragon was sick and wanted to die. And even then, the Dragon Slayer would have to bathe in their blood to ever be able to pull it off against a second dragon.
Made-Up Magics:
Lucy/Celestia:
Spirit Fortification: The caster manipulates the power of a Celestial Spirit through their own body, instead of summoning the Spirit directly. While this temporarily grants the caster great power, it also safeguards the Spirit, since the caster absorbs any resulting fatigue or damage in their place. Spirits are accessed through channels, which take the form of tattoos on the caster's body.
Crux Channel: Heartfilia Archive: A collection of books on magic that Lucy has entrusted to Crux for safekeeping.
Virgo Channel: Spica Chasm: Creates an enormous chasm capable of swallowing a large area.
Cana:
Arc of Remnant: A Lost Magic centered around the manipulation of dust. It is essentially always active, constantly collecting any nearby dust for the caster's use.
Dust Up: Summons a dust cloud, composed both of dust already collected, and any nearby.
Dust Form: Shapes collected dust into whatever the caster imagines.
Sand Sledgehammer: A combination attack consisting of Cana using Dust Form on Scorpio's Sand Buster.
Breakdown: Crumbles any object composed of dust back into cloud form.
Wendy:
Eterna-Air Lock: Creates a wind sphere and converts the air within to that of the world beyond. Breathing it in quickly renders most people unconcious.
Fairy Dragon Call: Originally a variant of Milky Way intended to make contact with living dragons, Wendy personalized it for the exclusive use of Fairy Tail's Dragon Slayers. It functions as a temporary mindscape where Dragon Slayers can communicate telepathically.
Meredy:
Aries Channel: Wool Gate Pass: Aries shares access to her gate, permitting temporary passage through the Celestial Realm. The time limit is twenty-three hours for Celestial Spirit mages, and two hours for anyone else. The countdown is marked by pink neck warmers, which gradually fall off as time runs out. When time runs out, the person(s) is escorted/ejected by the nearest Spirit (other than Aries, who hates to see her friends leave). The nature of exit varies, depending on the Spirit and the person in question.
Yukino:
Contact Magic: Allows the user to analyze, and in some cases use, the magic of a person they remain in extended physical contact with. Success is dependent largely on the difficulty or rarity of the magic, the skill and magical reserves of the user, the degree of familiarity with the target and their magic, and how suitable the magic in question is for the user.
Natsu: (more on these next chapter)
Blood Rune Art: Lost Bloom: Restores damaged or removed guild stamps.
Blood Rune Art: Fairy Red: Using the guild stamp as a focus, Natsu is able to transmit telepathic messages to any number of individuals with Fairy Tail's mark.